Zetta Blog

Engage 2FA for Your Cloud Backup

by Zetta Staff

May 5, 2016

Password habits are critical, especially for your cloud backup and recovery. You’ve taken smart steps to protect your valuable data, don’t risk it with weak password practices. In fact, recent research[1] states that as many as three in four consumers use duplicate passwords, many of which (47%) have not been changed in five years or more. As a result, as many as 90% of online accounts are vulnerable to hacking.[2]

You can avoid this with Zetta Data Protection. Why? We use state-of-the-industry two factor authentication (2FA). 2FA is a technology that enables the confirmation of a user’s claimed identity by using a combination of two different components. Typically these two components include something physical the user has (such as a mobile device) and a secret known only to the user (such as a password or PIN).

It’s important to note that not all 2FA used for backup and recovery solutions is the same. To be the most secure, an advanced cloud backup and recovery solution needs to offer the following 2FA features:

Standards-Compliant Authentication. Stringent industry standards for 2FA assure that codes provided for validation are delivered using secure protocols. When combined with items such as SSL encryption for data in flight and AES encryption as rest, your data is well protected from threats.

Time-Based Authentication. The 2FA solution your cloud backup and recovery solution uses should be time-based, requiring validation every 30 days and each time you use a new device.

Google Authenticator Compatibility. Google Authenticator is generally the most frequently used authentication solution, making it easiest to use with industry-standard security practices.

Unobtrusive Protection. No solution will be secure if it gets in the way of productivity. As such, select solutions that only require users to validate their 2FA code every 30 days or when they use a new device. More frequent validation will cause frustration and doesn’t necessarily increase protection.

You’ll get all of these with Zetta, along with the peace of mind knowing that you have an additional layer of protection to significantly decrease the risk of a hacker accessing vital information, including online backup files. To learn more about how to create passwords that work, visit http://passwordday.org.